Billy Halloran is very familiar with the forests of Myoko, Japan. He often hikes, runs, and has even completed an ultramarathon through its rough terrain. But two weeks ago, those same woods became a place of danger when he was chased by a bear.
During one of his usual runs in early October, Halloran came across something he had never seen before two Asiatic black bears.
He instantly realized he was in serious danger. Bear attacks have been increasing all over Japan, with over 100 people hurt this year and at least seven killed, the highest number since record-keeping began in 2006. One fatal attack even happened only a few miles from his home.
Now, he stood alone on the trail, several kilometers from his parked car, trying to figure out how to get away from the two bears watching him from the bushes just 30 meters away.
When he tried to slowly move away, one of the bears started walking toward him, said 32-year-old Halloran, who is from Auckland, New Zealand. “It was about the same size as me an adult bear, maybe 60 or 70 kilos (about 132 to 154 pounds),” he said.
Afraid that running would make the bear chase and attack him from behind, Halloran chose to stay and yell to scare it away. “I could see it was about to jump at me and then it did,” he said.
He raised his arm to protect his face, but the bear bit it and knocked him to the ground. “With one bite, my arm was basically gone,” he said.
The bear then attacked his leg, leaving deep scratches and bite marks before backing off. Fueled by adrenaline, Halloran got up and faced the bear for a few tense seconds until it finally disappeared into the forest.
Fearing it might return, he called his wife to come get him. Despite a broken arm and serious leg wounds, he managed to run about a kilometer to meet her and wait for an ambulance.
Speaking from the hospital where he has been recovering for two weeks, Halloran said he has undergone three surgeries including a hip graft to replace a piece of bone bitten off and metal plates inserted into his arm.
He still has a long road to recovery ahead, including physical therapy. After finishing his last ultramarathon, he had hoped to keep training for more races and he still plans to but he knows things won’t be the same as before.
The harder part might be dealing with the emotional scars from the attack. He compared it to how a surfer might feel after being attacked by a shark wanting to go back, but feeling afraid.
Despite that, he’s determined to run in the woods again. He credits his recovery to the strong support from local runners and says he’s lucky, since many other bear attacks have ended much worse.
Recently, Japan has seen more bear encounters. Bears have stormed into a supermarket, lingered near a nursery, and badly injured a man cleaning an outdoor bath.
Experts say climate change is pushing bears out of their natural homes and into cities as their usual food sources decline.
In response, Japan’s government has promised stricter measures to control the growing bear population.
Many people now carry bells or play loud music to scare bears away. Next time, Halloran says he might bring bear spray.
“I’m just more careful now,” he said. But he added with a smile that winter is coming and once he’s healed, he’s looking forward to snowboarding, clearing his mind, and getting back to nature.
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